Having a complete LinkedIn profile is important for anyone looking to build their professional brand and network online. With over 740 million members, LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network and an invaluable tool for making connections and standing out to recruiters and potential employers. But what exactly should you include in your LinkedIn profile to make it as compelling as possible?
Profile Photo
Your profile photo is one of the first things people will notice when visiting your LinkedIn page, so you’ll want to make sure it’s professional. Avoid casual photos and instead opt for a high-quality headshot of you alone, dressed business professional. Make sure the photo is well-lit and framed correctly. If you wear glasses, show them in your photo. Smiling is encouraged, just make sure the photo still looks natural. Remember, your photo represents you, so take the time to choose one that looks great.
Headline
Your headline appears right below your name at the top of your profile. Use it to summarize who you are professionally in just a few words. Include your current job title and professional focus. You have 120 characters to work with, so choose words that best describe you and will catch the eye of your target audience. For example: “Product Marketing Manager | Audience Growth Strategist”. Keep it short but compelling.
About Section
The about section is where you can share more details on your background, experience, skills and interests. Write a summarized biography in the first person, keeping it professional. Mention your current role, companies you’ve worked for, your education, certifications, accomplishments, volunteering experience, publications, awards, and anything else noteworthy. This is your chance to showcase what makes you unique as a candidate, so pick highlights that are relevant.
Experience
In this section, provide details on your work history, including company names, job titles, employment dates, and descriptions of your responsibilities and achievements. List these in reverse chronological order, with your current or most recent position first. For each role, summarize in 3-4 bullet points what you accomplished. Use numbers and facts to quantify your work. Highlight transferable skills gained that would appeal to future employers or opportunities you are seeking.
Education
Like your work history, list your education in reverse chronological order, starting with the most recent school or program. Include the degree earned or program certificate, fields of study, graduation date, extracurricular activities, and any honors or awards received. Listing coursework can also demonstrate your knowledge and skills. Don’t forget to add any additional training programs, seminars, conferences, or online courses as well.
Skills
The skills section lets you list out expertise relevant to your industry or job target. Include hard skills like programming languages, software, systems, and certifications, as well as soft skills like communication, teamwork, and leadership. You can pick skills from LinkedIn’s pre-populated list and add levels of proficiency. This allows you to stand out and have your skills indexed for searches. Prioritize skills that align with the types of roles you are applying for.
Recommendations
Ask managers, colleagues, professors, or classmates who’ve worked with you closely to write a LinkedIn recommendation. Genuine praise from others can go a long way in reinforcing your qualifications. Recommendations should include details on work projects, your responsibilities, and positive qualities that make you a great team member and candidate. You can ask for recommendations by clicking the “Ask for a recommendation” link under your photo.
Accomplishments
Showcase achievements that demonstrate your capabilities and value you can bring to an employer. Share content like published articles, case studies from projects, slide decks from presentations, videos, certifications earned, courses completed, volunteer work, testimonials from clients or employers, and events you’ve spoken at. Provide examples of your best work.
Volunteer Experience & Causes
Volunteering shows you care about more than just your career. List any volunteer work, fundraising initiatives, community service projects, or causes you actively support. Share details on your specific role and responsibilities. Highlight organizations that would appeal to employers or align with your industry. Demonstrate passion beyond your day-to-day work.
Projects
Under the experience section, showcase major projects or initiatives you led or participated in, even if not tied to a specific employer. Describe your role, responsibilities, the problem you were solving, skills utilized, and the end result. Quantify your impact and highlight transferable skills gained. Projects showcase abilities beyond your job description.
Honors & Awards
Being recognized for your work is worth noting. Include any professional awards you’ve received, speaking engagements you’ve been asked to participate in, or press mentions featuring you or your work. Share the award name, organization, and when it was received. Recognitions by industry organizations are particularly impressive.
Courses
Demonstrate your commitment to continually developing your skills by listing additional coursework and certifications beyond your formal education. Include online classes, seminars, conferences, and training programs you’ve completed through platforms like Coursera, Udemy, LinkedIn Learning, edX, and more. Share the course name, skills covered, and any certificate earned.
Languages
Knowing additional languages, especially those relevant to your target employers or industry, can give you a competitive edge. Be sure to list your level of proficiency. This also presents an opportunity to highlight multicultural experience studying or working abroad.
Publications
Authoring articles, research papers, or other professional publications related to your work demonstrates your subject matter expertise. Include a list with links to any publications you’ve written. Mention the title, publication, author list, and date. Publications build credibility.
Patents
If you hold any patents, list the patent name, number, date, and your role. This positions you as an innovator in your field with proven creative thinking and problem-solving abilities.
Groups
Joining industry-related LinkedIn Groups allows you to establish connections and participate in conversations with other professionals in your field. Follow Groups that provide value, and be an active contributor of insights and ideas where it makes sense. Feature select Groups you’ve joined on your profile.
Example of Featured LinkedIn Groups
| Group Name | Group Description |
|---|---|
| Social Media Marketing Professionals | For those in the social media marketing industry to network and share best practices. |
| Content Marketing Strategists | Discussing content marketing strategy, trends, tactics, and techniques. |
| Digital Advertising Experts | Sharing knowledge on Pay Per Click (PPC), Search, Display and Social Media advertising. |
Media
Showcase your speaking experience and subject matter expertise by linking to any podcasts, webinars, vlogs, conference talks, or media interviews you’ve participated in. Provide the title, date, url link, and a brief description.
Example of LinkedIn Profile Media Items
| Media Title | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Product Marketing Talk Podcast | September 2021 | Joined host John Smith to discuss product launch strategy best practices. |
| Elevating Your Brand Through Content Webinar | August 2021 | Co-presented an hour long webinar on building brand awareness with content. |
| CareerJourney Interview | July 2021 | Interviewed by CareerJourney on transitioning into a product marketing role. |
Background Photo
While optional, adding a background photo can help your profile stand out while also humanizing your brand. Select an image that aligns with your industry or interests. Stick to simple, clean backdrops and avoid photos with faces or text. A nature scene or cityscape are common choices. Just keep it subtle and professional.
Contact Info
Make it easy for connections to reach out to you by filling out your contact info section. Include methods like your email address, phone number, Twitter handle, website URL, postal address, and any other relevant contact details you want to share. This also serves as a way to drive traffic to your website or portfolio.
Custom URL
Claim a unique LinkedIn URL personalized with your name to make your profile more searchable and memorable. For example: linkedin.com/in/yourfirstname-yourlastname. This also looks more professional than the default auto-generated URL.
Summary
While keeping your profile concise is important, you want to ensure you’re providing enough detail in each section for visitors to get a comprehensive understanding of your background, skills and accomplishments. Highlight transferable skills, measurable results, and anything that makes you stand out from other candidates. Utilize all the sections available to build a robust, complete profile that effectively sells your personal brand!
Conclusion
Your LinkedIn profile serves as your professional resume and portfolio all in one, and having an eye-catching, informative profile is vital for your career advancement. Follow the tips outlined above, and keep your profile updated as you gain more experience, skills, projects and achievements to showcase. The time investment put into crafting a stellar LinkedIn presence can pay dividends for years to come in expanding your network and showcasing the value you can bring to potential employers. Approach your profile as living document that grows alongside your career journey.
